1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to urine specimen collecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The clinical laboratory is often called upon to measure the timed (24 hour for example) excretion of certain hormones, metabolites, drugs, etc. This requires collection of all urine passed in the interval. At the end of the interval, all the urine is mixed together, its total volume measured, and a smaller, representative portion (an aliquot) is dispensed for the actual analysis. Usually the urine must be stored refrigerated, often with an acid or other preservative. Because the analysis may be sensitive to interference by contaminants, very high purity reagents, water, and scrupulously clean glassware are required. In a 24 hour period urine volume may reach 10 liters when diuretics are used or fluids forced. This size container is awkward to store in the refrigerator, carry about, and urinate into directly for females. This often leads to supplying too small a container, which is then supplemented by any handy jar that is contaminated and has no preservative. Often the patient urinates into a more convenient but unclean receptacle and transfers it to the storage container. The presence of a corrosive preservative threatens the patient directly, contamination of the specimen threatens the patient indirectly by false results. U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,075 teaches proportional sampling with a device more awkward to use for this particular purpose.